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Herbiary owners: We’re still open

The owners of Herbiary, an herbal supplement business that was recently involved in a dispute about the use of a nearby residential property on Mermaid Lane for classes, wanted to let the community know that just because they no longer teach courses on the property, they are not closed.

“A few people read the headlines [in the Local] and thought because we’re no longer teaching courses on Mermaid lane that we’re closed,” said Andrew Celwyn, who owns Herbiary, 7721 Germantown Ave., with his wife, Maia Toll.

Celwyn said he was disappointed that he and the property’s owners couldn’t reach an agreement with neighbors and was disappointed to lose the class space. Celwyn said he and Toll, however, are pushing forward and looking for another space to teach the classes.

“We see a lot of our mission as not just providing these products but providing an education that goes along with them,” he said. “Folks aren’t familiar with how to use herbs and other natural products to improve their health.”

Where will those classes be held? Celwyn said Toll, who teaches most of the classes, usually takes the summer off and begins classes in the fall, so there is time to find a space.

“We’re considering teaching down at Reading Terminal Market a little bit more (Herbiary has a second location at the Center City market),” he said. “There are other places in the area where we’ve talked about using. The holistic community is a pretty tight knit community. A lot of them have reached out to us and are interested working with us.”

In the meantime, April Lea, Herbiary’s “marketing maven” will be leading what she is calling a Summer Porch Demo Series.

“To fill the gap for herb knowledge until we sort out our class offerings, we’re inviting recent graduates of Maia’s to lead demonstrations on basic ways to use herbs in everyday life,” Lea wrote in an email. “Demos will take place throughout the day on Saturdays here at the shop on Germantown Avenue.”

7 p.m. Mt. Airy Arts Performing Center, 230 East Gowen Ave. Behind Grace Epiphany Church All classes are Free for the trial period, but a donation $3 to $5 is suggested per session for the teacher.[...]